Display rack



May 26, 1959 R. L. SINCLAIR DISPLAY RACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 24,1953 INVENTOR ,LVMzZau/L May 26, 1959 R. SINCLAIR I 2,388,223

' DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 24, 1953 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

May 26, 1 5 R. L. SINCLAIR DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 24, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

May 26, 1959 R. SINCLAIR 8,

DISPLAY RACK Filed Dec. 24, 1953 4 Sheets-Shet 4 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 2,888,223 DISPLAY RACK Robert L. Sinclair, Dedham,Mass, assignor to The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation ofDelaware Application December 24, 1953, Serial No. 400,288 2 Claims.(Cl. 248-198) This invention comprises a new and improved display rackfor exhibiting in show-windows and on show-cases small articles such assafety razor cases, blade packages and the like. It is of the generaltype constructed and arranged to be supplied in fiat knocked-downcondition and then by simple manipulation organized to stand securelywith an extended base upon a flat surface with a three dimensionalappearance, or to serve equally well in suspended condition.

An object of the invention is to provide at moderate cost a display rackhaving the characteristics above enumerated. Going more into detail, thedisplay rack of this invention comprises an upright easel panel having asection hinged to its front face and a supporting panel hinged to itsrear face, together with a connecting element arranged to causesimultaneous movement of the hinged section and panel from fiatcollapsed condition on opposite sides of the easel panel to a positionin which the front section extends forwardly and the supporting panelextends at right angles to the rear face of the easel panel. Themechanism for "effecting these movements in diverse planes constitutesan important feature of the invention. The desired results may beeffected simply and reliably by arranging the hinged sec tion to swingabout a horizontal axis while the supporting panel is hinged to swingabout a vertical axis, and by connecting one edge of these members by aband and slit, the slit being formed in the easel panel and the bandpassing from one edge of the hinged section to the lower portion of thesupporting panel. When the hinged section is swung forwardly from itscollapsed position, the supporting panel is forced to assume a positionat right angles to the rear of the easel panel, and thus engages itsrear face along an edge substantially aligned with the slit. When thehinged section is swung back into its collapsed position, the supportingpanel is simultaneously turned and twisted out of its supportingposition until it arrives at a fiat collapsed position upon the rearface of the easel panel.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be bestunderstood and appreciated from the following description of a preferredembodiment thereof selected (for purposes of illustration and shown inthe accompanying drawings in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are plan views of the display rack shown in collapsedposition as seen respectively from the front and back.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively views in plan and side elevattion of therack in erected condition.

Fig. 5 is a view of the rack in side elevation in partially collapsedposition, and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the rack in fully collapsed position.

As herein shown the main body of the rack comprises an upright easelsection 10 approximately rectangular in shape, although it may be madeto conform in contour with any desired ornamentation. Upon the easelpanel 2,888,223 Patented May 26, 1959 are depicted two vertical rows ofrectangular display areas 11 in each of which is provided a cut-outtongue 12 upon which may be suspended the articles to be displayed. Aquadrant-shaped cut-out 13 is provided in the lower edge of the'easelpanel and into this leads a vertical slit 14. Astop ear 15 projects intothe cut-out quadrant from the inner straight edge thereof.

A rectangular tongue or flap 16 is cut in the easel panel midway betweenthe slit 14 and the'right-hand edge of the panel as seen in Fig. 1 beingshaped to swing outwardly at its lower edge. To this flap is stapled asectional panel 17 rectangular in contour and having depicted thereon adisplay area 11' similar to one of the areas 11 of the easel panel. Thesectional panel is also provided with a cut-out tongue 19, as are thedisplay areas of the panel itself. The inner edge of the sectional panel17 is connected by an integral flexible band 18 with the side edge of asupporting panel 20 near its bottom, the band 18 extending through theslit 14 above the ear 15. The supporting panel 20 is substantiallytriangular in shape having a straight lower edge 21 and a straightupright edge 22 which in the erected position of the display rack asshown in Figs. 3 and 4 engages the rear face of the easel panel along anedge aligned with the split 14 and stands at 'right angles to the easelpanel. The lower edge 21 of the supporting panel terminates in a notchproviding an edge which contacts with the stop ear 15 in the erectedposition of the rack. In this position the sectional panel 17 is shownin Fig. 4 as extending outwardly and downwardly from the easel panel 10.It will be apparent from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4 that thesupporting panel 20 is held firmly in its right-angled supportingposition. It is moved into and locks itself in this position when thesection 17 is swung forwardly as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When thesection 17 is pressed rearwardly, it causes the supporting panel 20simultaneously to fold about the slit 14 and to twist toward the left asseen in Fig. 2 until it lies collapsed in flat position upon the back ofthe easel panel 10. At the same time, the section 17 arrives in itsfully collapsed position as shown in Fig. 6. This is caused partly bythe drawing of the lower inclined edge of the band 18 inwardly over theedge of the vertical slit 14, while the twisting movement of thesupporting panel is facilitated by the rounded shape of its upper end. I

All parts of the display rack may be made of stiff resilient cardboardor the like and may be dyed and provided with the necessary tongues andslits at a single operation. The ensuing assembling operation consistsmerely of interlocking the easel panel between the hinged section 17 andthe supporting panel 20 positioned as shown in Fig. 2 and inserting apair of spaced staples through the fiap 16 in the upper edge of thesection 17.

In swinging the section 17 rearwardly the tip of the supporting panel 20acts as a shifting fulcrum and slides along the back of the easel panelfrom its vertical locking position to its folded inclined and collapsedposiiton in a path and direction opposite to that shown by the arrow inFig. 2. In this movement the panel 20 and the band 18 are bothnecessarily somewhat flexed by pressure on the tip and in some cases itis desirable to flex the tip manually to assist in the collapsingmovement. On the other hand, in swinging the section 17 outwardly, thetip is flexed until it arrives at its vertical position with the resultthat it finally snaps into locked relation to the easel panel andremains unfiexed in that position.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail anillustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. A display rack comprising an easel panel of stifl sheet material ofsubstantially rectangularcontour with a cut-out in its lower edge intowhich projects a stop ear, a rectangular section hinged along itsstraight top edge to the panel, a supporting panel of substantiallytriangular contour and having a notch in its lower edge providing anedge for contacting said stop ear, and a flexible member connecting theinner side of the hinged rectangular-section with the inner side of thesupporting panel and passing through the cut-out of the easel panel,said supporting panel having a combined twisting and sliding movementbetween erected and collapsed condition of the rack.

2. A cardboard display rack comprising an upright easel panel having aflexible triangular support in contact with its rear face, a rectangularsection hinged along its entire top edge to the easel panel, and aflexible connecting band merging at one end into the inner edge of thesupport and at the other into one side of the hinged section, the easelpanel having a cut-out therein for the passage of said band, the cut-outbeing shaped to cause the tip of the support to act as a shiftingfulcurrn reacting to flex the support in its movement to a right angularoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,075,069 Stranders Oct. 7, 1913 1,359,937 Vergeer Nov. 23, 19201,421,277 Mathews June 27, 1922 1,476,860 Vergeer Dec. 11, 1923

